Britain and NATO face the very real threat of a third world war within five years, with a possible attack on alliance soil if they do not substantially rearm, the outgoing head of the British military has warned.
Russia, China and Iran are “the new Axis powers”, according to General Sir Patrick Sanders, who said they pose an even greater threat than the Nazis did in 1939.
“They are more interdependent and more aligned than the original Axis powers,” the former Army Chief of Staff said.
This has left the world facing “a moment as dangerous as any we have had since 1945”, he told The Times.
While a hot war with Russia is not inevitable, he said, it is more likely if the UK and its allies fail to “address the threats and gaps we have in our capability” and do not significantly rearm.
General Sir Patrick Sanders said Russia, Iran and China pose an even greater threat than the Nazis did in 1939.
The office of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is shown (right) receiving Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tehran, July 19, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this year.
According to the general, estimates suggest that the UK has “between five and ten years before Russia recapitalizes and is able to pose the kind of threat it posed before the Ukraine war.”
He said important steps needed to be taken “right now”, including modernising the armed forces and making “society and the UK more resilient”.
As things stand, he said, the UK armed forces are no longer powerful enough to engage in conflicts as they have in the past, for example by repeating the invasion of southern Iraq they carried out in 2003.
He added that their capabilities could be so diminished that the armed forces would not be able to retake the Falkland Islands as they did in 1982, as they now lack the task force necessary to sustain a campaign.
Last week, a senior Ministry of Defence official warned that the UK was “not prepared to fight and win an armed conflict of any scale”.
Sanders suggested the situation was even more dire than that, saying “we can’t do it at any scale,” or at least not for “a long time.”
Rescuers work at the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital that was damaged during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in kyiv, Ukraine, July 8, 2024.
Ukrainian servicemen from the 37th Marine Brigade fire a 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops
He said that while a new global conflict on the scale of World War II was “not likely,” it was “plausible.”
Potential flashpoints around the world include China, which he described as “a rising power with territorial ambitions,” Iran (because of its destabilizing activities in the Middle East) and North Korea.
Russian aggression in Eastern Europe could also erupt into a broader conflict, he said.
The dire warnings come after Vladimir Putin faced global condemnation yesterday following a sickening attack on a children’s hospital in kyiv.
The murderous attack underscored why Ukraine has been so desperately asking for more air defense weapons to defend its skies.
He also sent a chilling message to new British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and other NATO leaders meeting in Washington today for a summit to mark the bloc’s 75th anniversary.
Sir Keir has pledged to Increase British military spending to 2.5% of GDP, but only when public finances are in better shape. He is now under increasing pressure to provide a timetable.
Speaking to the Mail, Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois urged the new prime minister to “send a message to the world that he is committed to advocacy and that he “puts his money where his mouth is.”
Meanwhile, NATO will also need to boost its capabilities, with military sources warning that many more troops and air defence systems are needed.
China is a “rising power with territorial ambitions,” the general said. File image showing Chinese Navy submarines
The military alliance will need between 35 and 50 additional brigades to fully implement its new defense plans in the event of a Russian attack, they said.
A brigade can consist of between 3,000 and 7,000 soldiers, so forming an additional 35 to 50 brigades means up to 350,000 soldiers.
Following the end of the Cold War, many NATO allies reduced the number of their air defence systems, assessing that they would only face a limited missile threat from countries such as Iran in the future.
This perception changed dramatically with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, prompting allies to make efforts to increase their ammunition stockpiles and address shortages of air defense systems.